There was a gala.

Which was already a problem.

Ra hated galas.

Too many dresses.

Too many speeches.

Too many rich people pretending they enjoyed tiny portions of expensive food.

Meanwhile she was mentally calculating whether she could stop for tacos afterward.

The answer was yes.

Always yes.

She entered the ballroom.

The room shifted.

Not dramatically.

Subtly.

The way water shifts around a ship.

The way gravity alters a room.

The way powerful people notice another powerful person.

Ra ignored it.

As usual.

Then she saw him.

Of course, she saw him.

The universe apparently had no original ideas.

Sovereign stood near a cluster of diplomats.

Tall.

Elegant.

Annoyingly handsome.

His suit probably cost more than her first car.

Maybe more than her second car too.

Ridiculous.

Her internal dialogue sighed dramatically.

Wonderful.

The billionaire is here.

How tragic.

His internal dialogue wasn't much better.

She's here.

Excellent.

Now I can pretend to pay attention to absolutely nobody else.

Across the ballroom, their eyes met.

A brief moment.

Nothing dramatic.

Nothing obvious.

Yet somehow, twenty-three people noticed.

One diplomat leaned toward another.

"There it is."

"What?"

"The look."

"What look?"

"The one they get."

The diplomat followed his gaze.

"Oh."

"Exactly."

Meanwhile, Ra was completely oblivious.

Because she was busy convincing herself that Sovereign was not affecting her.

At all.

Not even slightly.

Certainly not enough to notice he crossed the room.

Certainly not enough to notice he always somehow ended up beside her.

Pure coincidence.

Obviously.

"Enjoying yourself?" Sovereign asked.

"No."

His laugh was low.

Warm.

Dangerous.

"Honest."

"I dislike galas."

"I know."

That made her blink.

"You know?"

"You've complained about them seven times."

"I have not."

"Seven."

She frowned.

He smiled.

And suddenly the room felt smaller.

Which was inconvenient.

Very inconvenient.

Because she liked that smile.

Far too much.

And somewhere nearby, Tyler watched the interaction.

Watching them was like watching two people circle a door while refusing to open it.

Exhausting.

Entertaining.

Exhausting.

"Just kiss already," he muttered.

They both turned.

Tyler immediately walked away.

Self-preservation was important.